Bihar Political Crisis: Jitan Ram Manjhi Resigns Before The Trust Vote, Alleges Receiving Death Threats

Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has resigned from his post today, just a few hours before trust vote on the floor of the assembly. Manjhi submitted his papers to the Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi. The Principal Secretary to the Governor has confirmed the CM's resignation, and said that the resignation letter was a one line statement. 

Manjhi surprised everyone by visiting the Raj Bhawan at 10 this morning. He returned back to his One Anne Marg residence after a 15-minute meeting with the Governor.

Manjhi's sudden decision to quit is seen in the light of his unsuccessful attempt to get the numbers in the house.

After he decided to rebel against his mentor and ex-CM Nitish Kumar, he was expelled from the JDU. He was to prove his majority in the house today. The BJP had announced yesterday that it will support Manjhi; but even with the support the BJP, Manjhi did not have the numbers to prove his majority.

Earlier the Nitish Kumar camp, comprising of JDU, RJD, Congress, CPI MLAs and one Independent legislator had taken a decision to boycott the Governor's speech prior to the joint session of the Bihar Legislature. 

JDU Chief Whip Shrawan Kumar said that the decision to boycott the Governor's speech was JDU effort to register protest against the decision to give Manjhi a 14 days' time - in which he tried his utmost to Horse trade the MLAs- to prove his majority.

Addressing a press conference, Jitan Manjhi said that he resigned because there were 'death threats' and bribe offers to his MLAs, and the speaker did not allow secret ballot for sake of the security of the MLAs.  

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BJP accuses the JDU of Misusing Post Of Assembly Speaker

The BJP has alleged that the JDU is misusing the chair of Bihar Assembly Speaker to be in power and also play the role of the opposition party. Uday Narain Choudhary, the speaker of the Bihar assembly is said to be close to Nitish Kumar camp of the JDU.   

"The JDU is accusing the BJP of misusing the office of the Governor. But the JDU is misusing the office of the Speaker. The Speaker's post has its dignity. But the way the Speaker is behaving in the Assembly by addressing the Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav in a letter as BJP leader in the House. We oppose this, as when was it decided that Nand Kishore Yadav is not the Leader of Opposition," Shahnawaz Hussain of the BJP said.

Shahnawaz Hussain also raised his finger at the constitutional jurisdiction of the speaker of the house to bequeth the JDU with the powers of both the party in power and the party in opposition. "Does the Speaker have the right to give one party the power as well as opposition? The BJP is opposing this," he said.

Hussain also ridiculed the JDU, BJP's arch rivals in the state, for parading and proving his majority in the Rashtrapati Bhawan and not the in the Bihar assembly. "First, it should be proved on the floor as to who has the majority. Is it Nitish Kumar or Manjhi ji? And this can be decided neither in the road nor in the lawns of the Rashtrapati Bhavan."  

Yesterday the JDU suspended seven of its own MLAs ahead of the 20 February trial of strength for him on the floor of the Bihar Assembly.

The BJP has chosen to remain absent from the all-party meeting called by the speaker, and has alleged the Assembly Speaker of favoring Nitish Kumar. 

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Bihar Governor Invites Manjhi To Prove His Majority On 20 February

Governor of Bihar KN Tripathi has asked the Bihar CM Jitan Manjhi to prove his majority on the floor of the house on 20 February, immediately after the Governor addresses the joint session of the legislature.

A source close to the Raj Bhawan told the media, "Immediately after Governor's address of the joint session of Bihar Legislature on the opening day of Budget session on February 20, Manjhi will have to prove majority in the Legislative Assembly." However, it is to be seen whether the governor has accepted CM Manjhi's request for a secret ballot or not.   

Governor's directive to Manjhi has come after Nitish Kumar along with Lalu Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav paraded 130 MLAs at the President's residence yesterday.

In a major development, the High Court of Patna put a stay on Nitish's election as the leader of the legislature party of JDU.

JDU is accusing the BJP of buying time so that they can use foul means to horse trade the JDU MLAs. 

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Jitan Manjhi Expelled From The Party, Nitish Claims To Have The Numbers

The JDU has expelled Bihar CM Jitan Manjhi from the party on the charge of being involved in anti-party activity. JDU is trying to get Nitish Kumar reinstated as the CM of Bihar. The ruling party in Bihar has demanded the installation of Bihar government under Kumar within 48 hours.

Nitish Kumar who stepped down from the post of CM following his party's disastrous performance in the general elections last year,  met the Governor KN Triphati today along with the MLAs of RJD and Congress -his allies in the state- and staked his claim to form the government. 

"We have informed the governor about our strength and staked claim. We have the numbers in the assembly," said Kumar. RJD chief Lalu Yadav who also went to meet the Governor along with Kumar said, "We have the numbers in the assembly."

Leaders close to Kumar claim that they have the support of around 130 MLAs. The 243-member house of the state has 233 members right now as 9 legislators have been disqualified and one from the BJP has died of late. Of the 233 MLAs, the JDU has 111, BJP 87, RJD 24, Congress 1, CPI 1, and five MLAs are independent.

Nitish was elected the leader of the JDU legislature party on Saturday. Manjhi left the capital Patna for Delhi on Sunday to participate in the NITI Aayog meeting; the Nitish Kumar camp submitted a letter of support to the Governor's office.

In Delhi, Jitan Manjhi met the PM Modi after the NITI meeting. His meeting with the PM sparkled a wave of speculations about a new political dimension arising in Bihar. On the hand the JDU is alleging that this political turmoil in the state is the brain child of the BJP, as it wants to spark a split in the regional party.

The power struggle in the JDU started to surface some time ago and it turned bitter a week or so back. Not finding the developments in his favor, Manjhi recommended the dissolution of the assembly and termed the party legislature meeting -called by JDU President Sharad Yadav- that sidelined him, unconstitutional. Despite lacking the numbers, Manjhi claims that he would prove majority in the house.  

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